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Conventional bending methods require high strength tools to bend the components and these methods are also associated with defects such as spring back, wrinkling instability, wall thinning and distortions at the cross-section. Laser bending offers precision and control and prevents defects associated with traditional bending methods. The present paper examines the effect of laser processing parameters on the bending and vibration characteristics of 304 stainless steel tube. A three-dimensional (3-D) coupled thermo-mechanical finite element (FE) model of the 304 stainless steel was developed using ABAQUS software to simulate the laser-based tube bending process. The process parameters such as laser power from 100 to 400 W and number of laser scans from 2 to 8 are considered. The simulation results showed that the bending angle increases with increasing laser power and the laser passes. In contrast, increasing laser power and laser scans resulted in a small increase in the natural frequency of the laser bent 304 stainless steel. Among the five modes of vibration, the fifth mode produced the highest natural frequency, with an average value of 9942.65 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is world’s largest community-based Programme Objective: To assess the coverage, impact, and reasons for non-utilization of supplementary nutrition among ICDS beneficiaries Methodology: To assess the coverage, impact, and reasons for non-utilization of supplementary nutrition among ICDS beneficiaries Results: 66 % of the beneficiaries are aware of the supplementary nutrition availability, while only 52% of them acquire the services. Only 24% of the adolescents are aware of the supplementary nutrition being given in ICDS and none of them are availing it. 28.7 % of the beneficiaries are getting. Conclusion: 52% of the study participants were utilizing the services and the major reason for non-utilization was inferior quality of the grains and unawareness, mainly among adolescent females. Positive impact could be seen with reduction in SAM cases, immunization updation but nutrition education needs to be upgraded.

Background: The success of battle against COVID 19 depends on public adherence towards infection control measures, which is greatly affected by their knowledge, attitude, and practices towards the COVID 19 pandemic. Objectives: Among the residents in the rural field practice area of a teaching hospital in Mangaluru:- 1) To assess knowledge, attitude, practice regarding preventive measures of COVID 19. 2) To assess stigma and risk perception of COVID 19. Methodology: A community based cross sectional study, by house-to-house visit was conducted among 323 participants residing in the rural field practice area of A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Mangaluru. Multistage sampling was adopted. Details regarding socio-demographic characteristics; knowledge, attitude, practice regarding preventive measures of COVID 19; risk perception and stigmatizing behavior was collected. Analysis was done using SPSS trial version 28. Results: 61% of participants were male; 27% had primary education and 33.1% were unemployed. Mass media was the most common source of COVID 19 related information. The knowledge of preventive measures of COVID 19 was good in 97.5% of the participants. 98.1% had positive attitude towards the preventive measures of COVID 19. The practice of preventive measures of COVID 19 good in 63.5%. 87.6% had taken two dose of COVID 19 vaccine. Low risk perception was seen in 96% and 83.6% had low stigmatizing behavior towards COVID 19. Gender was significant predictor of attitude scores. Age, gender, educational status, occupation status, type of family was the significant predictor of practices scores. Conclusion: Majority of the participants had good knowledge, positive attitude and good practice of preventive measures of COVID 19. As a result of effective IEC effort by different authorities is reaching rural part of India, people are aware of the preventive measures, has positive attitude about it and are practicing them.

India's National COVID Vaccination Program recommended vaccination of children ages 6-12 years in April 2022. This study assessed vaccine acceptance among mothers to better understand potential barriers and facilitators of national acceptance of pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Qualitative data were collected through three focus group discussions (FGDs) with mothers who had children younger than 12 years of age; FGD-1 was composed of mothers who worked at a tertiary medical center in India, whereas FGD-2 and FGD-3 were composed of mothers who sought care at urban and rural community health centers. Investigators recorded, transcribed, translated, and analyzed FGDs by inductive thematic analysis. Emerging themes related to pediatric COVID-19 vaccination were categorized as knowledge and awareness, attitudes and perception, vaccine intent and facilitators, and future recommendations to promote vaccine uptake. FGD-2 and FGD-3 participants displayed limited knowledge and false beliefs regarding the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, but mothers in FGD-1 demonstrated adequate knowledge, likely because they are health care providers. Mothers in all three FGDs expressed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy because of concerns of side effects and low disease prevalence in children. They reported much more fear about giving the vaccine to their children than they felt about receiving it themselves. Overall, education was negatively correlated with vaccine knowledge, but mothers in all groups shared similar hesitancy about their intention to accept the vaccine for their children. Educating parents in India about the COVID-19 vaccine, especially its safety and efficacy in children, is crucial to the success of a national vaccine program.

Background Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a result of the interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors. A unique cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), expressed by inflammatory cells, acts via a cluster of differentiation 74 (CD74) and a cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) receptors, leading to the recruitment of mononuclear neutrophils and lymphocytes. This cascade results in exaggerated inflammation and atherosclerosis. MIF's distinctive characteristics and functions make it an essential target for achieving therapeutic atherosclerosis regression, setting it apart from other cytokines. Hence, this study aims to detect the MIF gene polymorphism in ACS patients and to assess the incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Methodology This study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. A total of 90 patients who had ACS were enrolled, of which 83 were included, and seven patients were excluded based on exclusion criteria (four cases of old myocardial infarction, two cases of valvular heart disease, and one case of dilated cardiomyopathy). After detailed clinical examination, laboratory evaluation, and genetic test, patients were divided into two groups based on MIF gene mutation. Five patients who had positive MIF gene mutation were termed as group A (n=5), and 78 patients with negative MIF gene mutation were termed as group B (n=78). The statistical analysis for the collected data was done using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20 (Released 2011; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA). Results Out of the 83 patients in this study, the male gender was predominant; there were three male patients in group A (n=3; 60%) and 48 male patients in group B (n=48; 61.5%). The most common age group was between 60 and 69 years; two of five patients (n=2; 40%) in group A and 30 out of 78 patients (n=30; 38.4%) in group B belonged to this age group. The common symptom was chest pain present in five patients in group A (n=5; 100%) and 76 patients (n=76; 97.5%) in group B. A common risk factor in group A patients was tobacco chewing, seen in three patients (n=3; 60%), and group B smoking was the most common risk factor seen in 30 patients (n=30; 38.5%). The most common ECG finding in group A was ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), seen in three patients (n=3; 60%), and in group B, the commonest ECG finding was non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) seen in 23 patients (n=23; 29.5%). The most common MACE was heart failure seen in two patients in group A (n=2; 40%) and in 50 patients in group B (n=50; 64.1%), followed by arrhythmias seen in one patient in group A (n=1; 20%), and eight patients in group B (n=8; 10.3%). Conclusion This study demonstrated a significant positive association between MIF gene polymorphism and the occurrence of cardiovascular events like myocardial infarction, with a statistically significant p-value (p=0.001). This study showed the presence of the disease in young age groups and individuals without conventional risk factors, underscoring the importance of genetic studies. Genetic risk factors independently contribute to the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease; hence, understanding the mechanisms of these genes and incorporating genetic testing into standard clinical practice can help future research to develop therapeutic agents that can specifically target these genes., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee BLDE (Deemed to Be University) issued approval BLDE(DU)/IEC/748/2022-23. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, M J et al.)

Introduction ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is an acute presentation of myocardial infarction (MI). It is caused by the complete occlusion of coronary arteries by a thrombus secondary to atherosclerotic plaque formation within these vessels. The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score is a seven-item scale used to categorize patients based on risk and to predict mortality in acute MI patients. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an independent assessor of prognosis in cardiovascular diseases; it holds a pivotal role in inflammation and atherosclerotic plaque formation. Methodology A hospital-based cross-sectional study was undertaken among 76 patients who had acute MI, out of which 50 patients who had STEMI were included and 26 patients were excluded (13 patients had non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), four patients had unstable angina, nine patients had arrhythmias). After detailed clinical and laboratory evaluation, NLR was calculated for all 50 patients, and they were distributed into low NLR, intermediate NLR and high NLR groups based on the ratio. Patients then underwent coronary angiography, and their TIMI-STEMI score was calculated and compared with their NLR score. Using SPSS software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), the collected data was statistically analyzed. Results Fifty patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) based on their NLR were distributed into three categories: Category A with low NLR of <1.7 (n=2), Category B with intermediate NLR of 1.7-3 (n=10), and Category C with high NLR of >3 (n=38). In this study, there were more male patients (two in Category A, six in Category B, 28 in Category C), mean age group was 55 +/- 10 (one in Category A, five in Category B, 32 in Category C), the most common presentation was chest pain (two in Category A, nine in Category B, 37 in Category C), the most common risk factor was smoking (two in Category A, six in Category B, 15 in Category C), the angiographic TIMI-STEMI score was calculated and two, six, and two patients in Category A, Category B, Category C respectively had a low score of <4, four and 36 patients in Category B and C respectively had a high score of >4, and there was a significant correlation between high NLR and high TIMI-STEMI score (P = 0.001). Conclusion This study infers that a simple bedside parameter like the NLR, which is easily available and affordable, can predict the outcome in STEMI patients and stands on par with conventional angiographic scores., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee BLDE (Deemed to be University) issued approval BLDE (DU)/IEC/1095/2023-24. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Badiger et al.)

Background Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is the most common cause of mortality across the world. The electrocardiogram (ECG) Tpeak-Tend/QT interval appears to be a measure of the left ventricle's transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR). Prolongation of this time could indicate adverse cardiac events like heart failure, arrhythmias, etc. Heart failure is a clinical syndrome that includes signs and symptoms such as peripheral edema and high jugular vein pressure. N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is an effective predictor of left ventricular function and also helps in predicting the disease prognosis. Elevated levels of NT-proBNP are seen in many cases of left ventricular dysfunction. This study aims to evaluate the predictive utility of the Tpeak-Tend/QT interval ratio in predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), such as heart failure, by examining the Tend/QT interval ratio values with NT-proBNP in STEMI. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary hospital between April 2024 and June 2024. It included STEMI patients, excluding those with non-STEMI (NSTEMI), valvular heart diseases, bundle branch block, or pacemakers. The patients with a Tpeak-Tend/QT ratio < 0.3 were included in group A, and the Tpeak-Tend/QT ratio > 0.3 in group B. They were monitored for MACE-like heart failure during hospitalization and were compared with a study of the Tpeak-Tend/QT interval ratio in predicting heart failure in STEMI and its correlation with NT-proBNP levels. Results In this study, out of 45 patients, male predominance was observed, with 35 (78%) being men and 10 (22%) being women. In group A, the most common age group was 60-70 years, with 16 (51%) patients; in Group B, it was 50-60 years, with six (42.8%) patients. Out of 31 patients in group A, 25 were male, and six were female. In group B, out of 14 patients, 10 were male, and four were female. In this study, out of the 45 patients included, 12 (85%) among 14 patients who had MACEs like heart failure had a Tpeak-Tend/QT interval ratio of more than 0.3, and their measured NT-proBNP levels were also more than 900 pg/mL, thus showing a statistically significant association between Tpeak-Tend/QT interval ratio and NT-proBNP. Conclusion The present study showed an increased Tpeak-Tend/QT interval ratio and NT-proBNP in patients who developed heart failure in STEMI. As ECG is a readily available and affordable tool, the Tpeak-Tend/QT interval ratio can be used along with conventional markers like NT-proBNP to predict MACE in patients with STEMI., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional ethics committee BLDE (Deemed to be University) Vijayapura issued approval BLDE (DU)/IEC/1093/2023-24. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Badiger et al.)

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a rare tumour of unknown origin with peak incidence between 10 and 35 years. Although it arises in juxta-articular location, SS is a misnomer and has no true relationship with synovium. In this case report, we present an elderly female patient with a long-standing history of thigh mass which was initially misdiagnosed as metastatic adenocarcinoma deposits on fine needle aspiration cytology, and again misdiagnosed as malignant adnexal skin tumour on core needle biopsy and referred for further management. Here, we discuss the challenges faced in the diagnosis of SS on a small biopsy and ways to differentiate it from other morphological mimickers. Therefore, we aim to increase the awareness of soft tissue tumours that microscopically appear like adenocarcinoma, which is a potential diagnostic pitfall. We also highlight the importance of morphological diagnosis and the utility of molecular testing using fluorescence in situ hybridisation, to arrive at the correct diagnosis of SS., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background’: India is ranked second in the world in terms of tobacco use and tops the list of eight high-burden countries that account for two-thirds of the new tuberculosis (TB) cases globally. As tobacco smoking among TB patients is associated with unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes, effective smoking cessation interventions for TB patients is essential to combat this double pandemic., Aim: The study determined the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) on smoking reduction and cessation among pulmonary TB patients., Settings and Design: The study included 300 pulmonary TB patients undergoing antitubercular treatment in government health care centers of Dakshina Kannada district in southern India., Materials and Methods: The participants in this two-armed, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, block-randomized trial were divided equally ( n = 150) for experimental arm (brief advice + NRT) and control arm (brief advice + placebo). The total duration of treatment and follow-up was 6 months. Unadjusted relative risk (URR) and adjusted relative risk (ARR) were calculated for treatment outcomes at 95% confidence interval (CI). Generalized linear regression analysis was performed upon variables with P value less than 0.2., Results: After 6 months of intervention including follow up, there was a significant reduction in self-reported smoking (ARR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.17, P = 0.03) in the experimental arm compared with the control arm. Biochemically verified smoking abstinence was not significantly different between the two arms (ARR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.72-1.38, P = 0.97)., Conclusion: The study showed statistically significant effectiveness of NRT for self-reported smoking reduction., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 International Journal of Preventive Medicine.)

Allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the best curative approach for patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). The outcomes of HCT from haploidentical family donors (HFDs) have improved, making it a feasible option for patients lacking an HLA-identical donor. However, data on HFD-HCT for younger patients with SAA is sparse. In this multicenter retrospective study, we evaluated the outcomes of 79 patients undergoing HFD-HCT for SAA. All the patients were heavily pretransfused, the median time to HCT was >12 months, and 67% had failed previous therapies. Conditioning was based on fludarabine (Flu)-cyclophosphamide (Cy)-antithymocyte globulin (ATG)/total body irradiation (TBI) with or without thiotepa/melphalan (TT/Mel). Post-transplantation Cy (PTCy) and calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs)/sirolimus were used as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with or without abatacept. The rate of primary graft failure (PGF) was 16.43% overall, lower in patients conditioned with TT/Mel. The incidences of acute and chronic GVHD were 26.4% and 18.9%, respectively. At a median follow-up of 48 months, the overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 61.6% and 58.1%, respectively. Both OS and EFS were better in the TT/Mel recipients and with abatacept as GVHD prophylaxis. On multivariate analysis, the use of abatacept was found to favorably impact the outcome variables, including GVHD and EFS. Our study suggests that PTCy-based HFD-HCT is a reasonable option for young patients with high-risk SAA, in whom optimization of conditioning and GVHD prophylaxis might further improve outcomes., (Copyright © 2022 The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Risperidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug, which is used in schizophrenia and also to treat excitation and aggression in patients with delirium. Risperidone has a low risk of haematotoxicity because of its different chemical and pharmacological profile compared to other drugs such as clozapine. Haematological abnormalities have life-threatening complications, especially neutropenia, leucopenia and agranulocytosis, but their effect on erythrocytes in adults is less well known. We highlight the effect of risperidone on erythrocytes and the mechanism that leads to anaemia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only report of 2 patients showing combinations of mechanisms leading to risperidone-induced anaemia.

Background: Medulloblastoma (MB) is a heterogeneous disease, displaying distinct genetic profiles, with specific molecular subgroups. Various clinical, pathological and molecular variables have been associated with disease outcome and therefore utilised in risk stratification of patients., Objectives: To perform molecular classification of medulloblastoma using surrogate immunohistochemistry (IHC) and associate molecular subgroups, histopathological types, and available clinicopathological parameters with overall survival (OS) of MB patients., Results: This study included 65 medulloblastoma patients. Immunohistochemical staining, using β-catenin YAP1 and GRB2-Associated Binding Protein 1 (GAB1) antibodies was used to classify MB cases into wingless signalling (WNT) activated, sonic hedgehog (SHH) activated, and non-WNT/non-SHH molecular subgroups. The relevant statistical analysis was done using GraphPad Prism version 9.3.0. Histological patterns included classic (40 cases, 62%), desmoplastic nodular (D/N) (14 cases, 22%), large cell/anaplastic (LC/A) (9 cases, 13%), medulloblastoma with extensive nodularity (MBEN) (1 case, 1.5%) and one special subtype, i.e., medulloblastoma with myogenic and melanotic differentiation. Molecular subgroups included WNT (4 cases, 6%), SHH (34 cases, 52%), and non-WNT/non-SHH (27 cases, 42%) subgroups. Histopathological types differed significantly according to tumor location, degree of anaplasia and molecular subgroups. Molecular subgroups differed significantly in age distribution and tumor location. The probability of survival was 78% and 68% after 1 and 2 years, respectively. Infants (<3 years of age), LC/A pattern, and TP53-mutant status among SHH subgroup conferred poor prognosis in our study. At the end of the study (at 65 months of maximum follow-up period) probability of survival was 51%., Conclusions: Immunohistochemical analysis helps in molecular classification of medulloblastoma in majority of the cases as well as helps in predicting prognosis and treatment response., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

Various protein/receptor targets have been discovered through in-silico research. They are expanding rapidly due to their extensive advantage of delivering new drug candidates more quickly, efficiently, and at a lower cost. The automation of organic synthesis and biochemical screening will lead to a revolution in the entire research arena in drug discovery. In this research article, a few fungal metabolites were examined through an in-silico approach which involves major steps such as (a) Molecular Docking Analysis, (b) Drug likeness and ADMET studies, and (c) Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Fungal metabolites were taken from Antibiotic Database which showed antiviral effects on severe viral diseases such as HIV. Docking, Lipinski's, and ADMET analyses investigated the binding affinity and toxicity of five metabolites: Chromophilone I, iso; F13459; Stachyflin, acetyl; A-108836; Integracide A (A-108835). Chromophilone I, iso was subjected to additional analysis, including a 50 ns MD simulation of the protein to assess the occurring alterations. This molecule's docking data shows that it had the highest binding affinity. ADMET research revealed that the ligand might be employed as an oral medication. MD simulation revealed that the ligand-protein interaction was stable. Finally, this ligand can be exploited to develop SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic options. Fungal metabolites that have been studied could be a potential source for future lead candidates. Further study of these molecules may result in creating an antiviral drug to battle the SARS-CoV-2 virus., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Current drug discovery involves finding leading drug candidates for further development. New scientific approaches include molecular docking, ADMET studies, and molecular dynamic simulation to determine targets and lead compounds. Hepatitis B is a disease of concern that is a life-threatening liver infection. The protein considered for the study was HBx. The hepatitis B X-interacting protein crystal structure was obtained from the PDB database (PDB ID-3MSH). Twenty ligands were chosen from the PubChem database for further in silico studies. The present study focused on in silico molecular docking studies using iGEMDOCK. The triethylene glycol monoethyl ether derivative showed an optimum binding affinity with the molecular target HBx, with a high negative affinity binding energy of -59.02 kcal/mol. Lipinski's rule of five, Veber, and Ghose were followed in subsequent ADMET studies. Molecular dynamic simulation was performed to confirm the docking studies and to analyze the stability of the structure. In these respects, the triethylene glycol monoethyl ether derivative may be a promising molecule to prepare future hepatitis B drug candidates. Substantial research effort to find a promising drug for hepatitis B is warranted in the future.

Background: Afro-Indians, locally known as Siddi, are the tribal community descended from the Bantu populace from eastern Africa found in Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka along the Indian west coast. This study determines knowledge, attitude and sexual behaviour amongst the Siddi population in the Udupi district., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2018 to September 2019; men and women aged above 18 years who lived in the locality at the time of the survey were included in the study., Results: A total of 108 Siddi individuals participated in this study. The mean age of the respondents was 31.8 ± 9.5 years. More than half (51.8%) of the respondents received information on sexual matters through friends. Awareness regarding the usage of condoms and other preventive measures was poor (34.7%). Around 65.7% of the respondents felt that sex education in school encourages sex amongst youngsters. The mean age at the first sexual intercourse amongst men and women was 20.3 years and 16.2 years, respectively. About 18.7% of the respondents had sex with a new partner in the migrated place within the last 1 month, of which 80% were married. Only 5% of the respondents used condoms while indulging in sex with a new partner at the migrated place. Factors such as age at marriage, age at the first sexual act and attitude towards sexual activity were significantly associated with a new sex partner at the arrival site., Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of unsafe sexual practices amongst the migrated Siddi tribe at the place of destination. This poses the risk of sexually transmitted infections amongst the migrant tribes and local communities at the place of destination and the location of origin. The study finding shows that measures should be taken to create awareness, and change in attitude towards sexual matter should be channelised at an early age amongst the Siddi population., Competing Interests: None

In recent years, acid whey production has increased due to a growing demand for Greek yogurt and acid-coagulated cheeses. Acid whey is a dairy by-product for which the industry has long struggled to find a sustainable application. Bulk amounts of acid whey associated with the dairy industry have led to increasing research on ways to valorize it. Industry players are finding ways to use acid whey on-site with ultrafiltration techniques and biodigesters, to reduce transportation costs and provide energy for the facility. Academia has sought to further investigate practical uses and benefits of this by-product. Although modern research has shown many other possible applications for acid whey, no comprehensive review yet exists about its composition, utilization, and health benefits. In this review, the industrial trends, the applications and uses, and the potential health benefits associated with the consumption of acid whey are discussed. The proximal composition of acid whey is discussed in depth. In addition, the potential applications of acid whey, such as its use as a starting material in the production of fermented beverages, as growth medium for cultivation of lactic acid bacteria in replacement of commercial media, and as a substrate for the isolation of lactose and minerals, are reviewed. Finally, the potential health benefits of the major protein constituents of acid whey, bioactive phospholipids, and organic acids such as lactic acid are described. Acid whey has promising applications related to potential health benefits, ranging from antibacterial effects to cognitive development for babies to human gut health., (The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. and Fass Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Objective: Safe and effective human papillomavirus vaccines are available against cervical cancer and other human papillomavirus-associated diseases. Vaccine uptake is low in India given lack of universal vaccination programme. This exploratory study describes the medical, dental and nursing undergraduate student perspectives about human papillomavirus and intentions to receive the vaccine., Methods: Using a cross-sectional, explorative study design, we conducted two focus group discussions among a convenience sample of male (n = 11) and female (n = 9) student group aged ⩾18 years, respectively, at a medical college in South India. The focus group discussion sessions were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis., Results: Over half of the students showed adequate knowledge of cervical cancer and human papillomavirus. Medical students had much in-depth knowledge of cervical cancer, vaccine cost and its side effects compared to dental and nursing students. Human papillomavirus vaccine knowledge was relatively less among males compared to females; most male participants were unaware of the availability of the human papillomavirus vaccine. Intention to receive the vaccine was higher among females than males. All the participants had positive attitude in creating awareness in the community and making the vaccine cost-effective. Cultural concerns and high vaccine cost were cited major barriers for vaccine uptake. Suggestion of physician recommendation in promotion of human papillomavirus vaccine uptake was an emerging theme., Conclusion: Educating male students and those enrolled in dental and nursing courses about human papillomavirus vaccine, addressing cultural concerns and advocating provider recommendation for promoting vaccine uptake are potential strategies to improve future human papillomavirus vaccine intent among students and recommendations to patients in their role as future healthcare provider.

Determination of the magnitude of body iron stores helps to identify individuals at risk of iron-induced organ damage in Thalassemia patients. The most direct clinical method of measuring liver iron concentration (LIC) is through chemical analysis of needle biopsy specimens. Here we present a noninvasive method for the measurement of LIC in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Twenty-three pediatric Thalassemia major patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation at our centre were studied. All 23 patients had MRI T2* and R2* decay time for evaluation of LIC on a 1.5 Tesla MRI system followed by liver tissue biopsy for the assessment of iron concentration using an atomic absorption spectrometry. Simultaneously, serum ferritin levels were measured by enzymatic assay. We have correlated biopsy LIC with liver T2* and serum ferritin values with liver R2*. Of the 23 patients 11 were males, the mean age was 8.3 ± 3.7 years. The study results showed a significant correlation between biopsy LIC and liver T2* MRI (r = 0.768; p  < 0.001). Also, there was a significant correlation between serum ferritin levels and liver R2* MRI (r = 0.5647; p  < 0.01). Two patients had high variance in serum ferritin levels (2100 and 4100 mg/g) while their LIC was around 24 mg/g, whereas the difference was not seen in T2* MRI. Hence, the liver T2* MRI is a better modality for assessing LIC. Serum ferritin is less reliable than quantitative MRI. The liver T2* MRI is a safe, reliable, feasible and cost-effective method compared to liver tissue biopsy for LIC assessment., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion 2020.)

Background & Objectives: Karnataka is a high HIV prevalent State in India. Although benefits have been shown by disclosing the HIV status to the child, information regarding HIV status disclosure in Karnataka is limited. Hence, this study was conducted to estimate the proportion of children who had been disclosed of their HIV status and its pattern among those who visited the district antiretroviral therapy (ART) centre in coastal Karnataka., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in an ART centre in a district hospital in coastal Karnataka between October 2014 and July 2015. Caregivers of paediatric HIV patients were approached and willing participants were administered a pre-formed, pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire developed for the study., Results: A total of 185 caregivers of the HIV-positive children were interviewed. Mean age of the children was 11±4 years. Only 107 (57.8%) children were aware of their HIV status. Of these, 95 were disclosed fully. Counsellors in rehabilitation centres were the most probable person to disclose and planned events. Children were told of their HIV status for their knowledge and were more likely to be disclosed if they were around 11-15 yr of age and staying in rehabilitation centres., Interpretation & Conclusions: Older children were more likely to be disclosed of their HIV status by counsellors. Steps need to be taken to counsel and encourage caregivers to fully disclose the HIV status to the children at least when they attain the age more than 11 years., Competing Interests: None

Aim: To evaluate the local treatment-seeking behaviors of diabetics with a focus on the root causes of culture-specific barriers to treatment compliance and define targets for intervention., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered in the local language to 204 diabetic adults in rural and urban clinical settings. Fasting blood glucose level was measured in all participants prior to the survey. Questions included sociodemographic characteristics, treatment-seeking behavior, and perceptions of obstacles., Results: Out of 204 participants, predictors of at target status included age (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.11) and rural living area (OR 1.92, 92% CI 1.02-3.60). Participants were commonly diagnosed with symptoms of diabetes (44.6%). Participants demonstrated frequent healthcare provider contact (51% in last one month, 74.5% in last three months). Accidental or purposeful deviation from the recommended medications or treatment plan was reported by 18.7% and 12.8%, respectively. From the sample, 111 participants (54.4%) were capable of receiving SMS messages and 79 (71.1%) were willing to receive messages about diabetes. The most frequently self-reported obstacles to diabetes management were: medication costs (49.3%), treatment costs (46.6%), diabetic diet (33.8%), lack of relief on current treatment (17.4%), and transportation (16.7%)., Conclusion: Though most diabetics have frequent encounters with healthcare providers and report compliant behaviors, the majority do not meet recommended diabetes management guidelines. Screening of at-risk populations, targeted SMS campaigns, or diabetes-specific training for healthcare providers may improve clinical outcomes., (Copyright © 2017 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The safety of high pressure source ventilation (jet ventilation) is dependent upon upper airway patency to facilitate adequate passive expiration and prevent increasing intrathoracic pressure and its associated deleterious sequelae. Distortions in airway anatomy may make passive expiration inadequate or impossible in some patients. We report the elective use of the Ventrain device to provide ventilation in a clinical setting of upper airway obstruction in a patient with post radiation fibrosis that had previously prevented passive expiration during attempted high pressure source ventilation., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the utility of measuring phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (phIGFBP-1) in cervical secretions to predict preterm birth among women with premature uterine contractions., Methods: A prospective study was conducted between September 27, 2013, and February 28, 2014, at a tertiary center in India. Participants with symptoms of preterm labor at 24-36weeks underwent testing for phIGFBP-1 in cervical secretions. Cervical length was measured by ultrasonography., Results: Cervical swab samples tested positive for phIGFBP-1 among 34 (57%) of the 60 participants. Mean cervical length was 2.15±0.63cm among the 46 (77%) women who delivered preterm and 2.54±0.47cm among the 14 (23%) women who delivered at term. Of the 46 preterm deliveries, 29 (63%) women tested positive for phIGFBP-1 and 17 (37%) tested negative. Mean length of pregnancy at delivery was 32.11±4.09weeks and 35.77±1.68weeks among women who tested positive and negative for phIGFBP-1, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of phIGFBP-1 to predict preterm birth were 86.96%, 35.29%, 64.52%, and 66.67%, respectively., Conclusion: A rapid bedside test measuring phIGFBP-1 identified women at high risk of preterm delivery., (Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)